THE CAUCUS; The Man Who Wasn't There

By ELISABETH BUMILLER

Published: August 19, 2008

Ralph Reed, the former director of the Christian Coalition and an associate of the disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, was a no-show at a fund-raiser for Senator John McCain in Atlanta on Monday night, even though Mr. Reed had sent out e-mail messages asking people to attend. Mr. Reed's absence quickly threw Senator Barack Obama's campaign, which had seized on Mr. Reed's ties to Mr. McCain, into I-told-you-so jubilation.

''Faced with the embarrassing prospect of holding a fund-raiser with one of Jack Abramoff's closest associates, the McCain campaign scrambled today to scratch Ralph Reed from tonight's program,'' Tommy Vietor, an Obama spokesman, said in a statement. He added that ''the real question isn't why Reed isn't showing up, but why a so-called reformer would invite him at all.''

Mr. Abramoff, the once-powerful lobbyist who pleaded guilty to fraud charges, had arranged for Mr. Reed, above, to be paid several million dollars by Indian tribes that ran casinos to coordinate antigambling campaigns against competing casinos. Mr. McCain led the Senate investigation into Mr. Abramoff's dealings.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which first reported Mr. Reed's e-mail messages about the fund-raiser, also said he was a member of Mr. McCain's ''Victory 2008'' team. Mr. McCain's advisers have said Mr. Reed has no position with the campaign.

On Monday night, Tucker Bounds, a McCain spokesman, said the Obama campaign's criticisms were unfounded. ''The irony that Barack Obama and his allies would attack John McCain for rooting out corruption in Washington and fighting special interests like Jack Abramoff with these baseless assertions speaks to the real level of commitment that Barack Obama has for making any change in Washington,'' Mr. Bounds said.

Mr. McCain made no mention of Mr. Reed at the fund-raiser, which raised $1.75 million. Mr. Reed could not be reached for comment on Monday evening.